In recent years, it has become very popular for homeowners to use decorative plastic bags in their yards. These bags are typically oversized, approximately 52 inches by 60 inches in size, and formed of polyethylene. Decorative indicia, such as stylized faces, are usually displayed on the outside surfaces of the bags. The color of the bags and the specific decorative indicia thereon frequently varies in accordance with the seasons, with certain colors and designs being popular during particular holidays. For example, orange bags with pumpkin face indicia are popular during the Halloween season, while red bags with Santa Claus face graphics are popular during the Christmas season.
Bags of this nature are designed to display the graphics on their sides and to provide yard decoration only when they are supported in an upright, and expanded or non-collapsed condition. However, since they are usually made of thin, flexible polyethylene material, they lack sufficient structural rigidity to be self-supporting. Consequently, it has been necessary in the past to fill the bags with some type of filling material in order to obtain this necessary upright non-collapsed condition. Many times, the filling material used by yard owners for these bags is simply leaves from their own yard. The tendency to use leaves as the filling material is, no doubt, enhanced by the fact that similar bags without decorative graphics are widely used by yard owners for the storage and transport of leaves.
While decorative bags of this type function very efficiently during daylight hours, they are difficult to see in unlighted yards during the evening hours. It is, of course, possible to place spotlights on the decorative yard bags of the prior art, or to use them in illuminated areas. However, in many instances, spotlights and other outside lighting are objectionable because they are not focused exclusively upon the decorative bags, and the light illuminates other areas. Furthermore, light produced by many spotlights and many other types of outdoor lighting is frequently aesthetically harsh to many observers and for this reason objectionable.